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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431531">Diamonds and Deception</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nauticalneptune/pseuds/nauticalneptune'>nauticalneptune</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Venture Bros</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:54:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431531</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nauticalneptune/pseuds/nauticalneptune</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A little backstory about Sheila and Novia. A narration by Sheila herself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Diamonds and Deception</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It's said that Teresa Didae --otherwise known as Novia -- didn't exist until she was 25. Well, that's half true. She obviously existed before that. We were acquaintances -- friends, even. But she was about 25 when she started becoming a thorn in my side.</p>
<p>Teresa Didae to her suitors and Terri to her few friends, she soon became Novia -- the pain in my ass.</p>
<p>I'm not even sure what happened. One minute, she's my friend, the next minute...</p>
<p>Maybe she was jealous, I don't know. I had a nice thing going with Hamilton -- Professor Fantamos at the time. I had just earned my doctorate and been handed the opportunity of a lifetime. It wasn't what I had planned, but I wasn't going to pass it up, either. My parents weren't too thrilled, but I was a grown ass adult. I'm getting off topic here. Point being, I became a super villain with the help of Professor Fantamos -- Phantom Limb, as he's known now. I was bringing in good money, I was making a name for myself.</p>
<p>I still spoke to Teresa in the beginning, but suddenly, one day, she just disappeared. Straight up went missing. Then you started hearing in the papers about rich men dropping like flies. every six months or so, like clockwork. Now, I'm not saying she killed them, but it was awfully suspicious how her name would always turn up. The poor unsuspecting widow, my ass. It happens once -- sure, shit happens. But it keeps happening like clockwork and people start getting suspicious. Part of me is impressed, to be honest -- she played her cards just right. No one could prove a damn thing, and she ends up living the life of luxury with her inheritances. Some of us had to steal our keep honestly.</p>
<p>After a while, she started laying low, I guess. There wasn't anymore suspicious deaths of the sort in the news. But then it happened.</p>
<p>I was minding my own damn business, working my way any up from the bottom, from a level one villain -- as Lady Au Pair, a persona of my own design. I had just been awarded my first henchmen -- and well, ONLY henchmen. But I was only a level 3 -- give me a break! I had worked very hard to be awarded those henchmen.</p>
<p>Anyway, I was minding my business, breaking into a wealthy man's house -- he had something the Guild needed, and I was retrieving it for them. It was my speciality -- breaking and entering. Locks? No problem. Alarms? Nothing I couldn't handle. the Guild would assign me such tasks often -- they trusted me.</p>
<p>It was going to be an easy in and out. I had covered all my bases. However, one thing I hadn't counted on was her showing up.</p>
<p>I heard a noise, and naturally, my instinct was to hide. But she already knew I was there. Hell, she knew I was coming. She knew exactly what I was there for, too. Why?</p>
<p>Because this was her fucking house.</p>
<p>"Oh, Sheila~" she called out from the dark. After flipping on a light switch, she waved around a folder. "Is this what you're here for?"</p>
<p>"Terri?"</p>
<p>"Hello, Sheila. It's been a while."</p>
<p>"It's Lady Au Pair now. What are you doing here?"</p>
<p>"Lady Au Pair..." She repeated. "What am I doing here? Why, this is my house. Or will be until I sell it. My dear husband recently passed away, and I don't know if I can bear to live here for much longer..." She trailed off, sniffling.</p>
<p>"Oh, spare the sob story, Terri. Everyone knows you murder your husbands for their estates."</p>
<p>"Sheila! Such an accusation. There is no proof for this."</p>
<p>"Ma'am!" One of my henchmen -- my moppets -- called to me. "There's a friggen dead guy back here!"</p>
<p>"And there's a KNIFE!" The other added. My little moppets were obsessed with knives.</p>
<p>"Boys, don't you touch that knife! That's evidence. That I could easily take to the police," I turned to Terri with a smirk.</p>
<p>"Okay, okay. So I killed this one guy. You can't prove the others, though."</p>
<p>"One is all it takes, honey."</p>
<p>"Why are you being so cruel? I thought we were friends."</p>
<p>"We haven't talked in years. And I'm just doing my job -- which is to bring back those papers. If you'd rather, though, I can call the police instead..."</p>
<p>"So they come and bust you for breaking into my house?"</p>
<p>"Murder is worse than breaking and entering, sweetheart. And your fingerprints are all over that knife."</p>
<p>"Fine. Take the papers, dear. But we will meet again. I'll be sure of it."</p>
<p>I didn't know what she meant by that, and honestly, I never intended on really calling the police. I didn't give a shit if she went to prison for her crimes. I was not one to talk about morals.</p>
<p>Anyway, I took the papers back to the Guild. They must have been damn important, because it raised my E.M.A. Level a whole point. It's amazing what good intel could do. I could have easily been assigned a decent arch, but I just wasn't interested in an arch at the time. I had arched a few in the past, but it just wasn't my thing. I wanted to rebrand myself -- I really hadn't thought out the whole 'Lady Au Pair' thing very well, but I didn't get time to even think about revamping my career.</p>
<p>Because a certain persona named Novia had different plans for me.</p>
<p>Every heist I went on, BAM -- she was there to try to thwart me. She wasn't always successful -- no, I was too smart for that.</p>
<p>Novia -- in her wedding dress and her exploding bouquet. It's like she was purposefully mocking me right in my face every time she showed up. "Oh, look at me! I kill every man I marry and get away with it every time!" I mean, at least her persona made sense. I was a fucking nanny with two munchkins from the lollipop guild. It's almost laughable if that weren't how I went down.</p>
<p>Honestly, our match up was odd. It wasn't official -- not even sure it was legal, technically. And weren't the villains supposed to arch the good guys? The good wasn't supposed to torment the bad! And I wasn't even bothering her! Sure, I was thieving, but not her. She was just being petty. I had a good thing going for me. I was up for becoming a level 5 villain. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I had worked my ass off to get there. I didn't have much to help me. Just two moppets and my own set of skills.</p>
<p>I had worked SO HARD only to get knocked down. I was on a very important mission to steal the famous 'Faith Diamond' -- it was a huge deal, but I had faith (heh...) in myself and my crew. I'd tricked all the alarms, gotten past every guard, picked every lock. I had the goddamn diamond in my HAND! It was gorgeous. Victory was mine, but I slipped up. Let my guard down for five seconds, and it was game over.</p>
<p>All because of her. Was it all for pettiness over the empty threat I had made? Or did it all trace back to college? Was it really out of jealousy? She had seemed jealous of me a bit with how I had a successful relationship and a start to my own career. I made my money the honest way. Well, about as honest as a villain could, anyway.</p>
<p>Novia claimed to be a 'good guy' stopping me from doing my 'evil deeds', but who's to say she didn't take that Faith Diamond for herself? Cashed it in for even more bucks? As if she needed more. But to me, she was not a 'good guy'. She wasn't apart of any organization, that I knew of. She was a villain of villains, as I saw it. Villains fighting villains is not protocol, at all. There are rules, regulations. You pit villain vs. hero. Or villain vs. scientist, is a Guild favorite. Ironically, I'm the scientist in this scenario.</p>
<p>I wasn't mad at Novia once I really thought about it. Annoyed, sure, but really, I blamed myself for this royal fuck up. Maybe Novia just played the part in my life that showed me I wasn't good enough to go solo. The Guild certainly thought so. It was suggested I become someone's #2 instead, and I agreed. I clearly wasn't cut out to be a level 5 solo villain.</p>
<p>So I went back to Phantom Limb, as a level 4...ugh, /henchman/. But everyone in villainy knows a #2 is more than a henchman. Especially if you're having sex with the boss. Ha ha...</p>
<p>I became Queen Etherea, my new persona under Limb. However, little did I know, one of his henchmen would end up being my husband later down the road. So really, it all worked out. Thanks, Novia! You unknowingly pushed my life in the right direction.</p>
<p>Later down the line, our paths crossed again. In order to keep my position on the Guild council -- yeah , that's right. I worked my way all the WAY to the top -- I had to retire from arching. We all had to go out with one last hurrah, one last arch. Of course it had to be Novia. She WAS my greatest defeat, after all.</p>
<p>God, it was so embarrassing seeing her again, in my Lady Au Pair costume, no less. I felt SO STUPID! She clearly had made a good life for herself -- probably grown since that era of our lives. So had I, but I was going through a really rough time with work and my husband, and I just made a fool of myself in front of her. She was so gorgeous and successful, and there I was in my stupid nanny outfit! It was SO embarrassing! And to make things worse, she HUGGED me!</p>
<p>Luckily, I was quick to think to lift her wallet during that hug. I rung up a TON of lingerie with that credit card of hers. My husband was pleased with that. Heh.</p>
<p>Anyway, since then, we've talked. A lot of arguing at first, but we reached a consensus as adults and became acquaintances again. She's even shown interest in having a seat on the council. Little Miss Sneaky had been doing a little behind the scenes villain work for years. Never did officially join an organization, but she worked as a freelancer of sorts. I KNEW she was never a 'good guy'.</p>
<p>Okay, I hate the 'good guy'/'bad guy' bullshit, really, because the lines cross a LOT. It's not so black and white.</p>
<p>I guess a better way to describe Novia -- uh, Terri, I mean, would be that she has always looked out for herself and no one else. Maybe a little bit money hungry, but hey. I heard somewhere that diamonds are a girl's best friend. And honestly, they look fabulous on her.</p>
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